Outside Observation: Truth or Tale?
by J4RRE77
Summary: A parody of one of my favorite shows that I'll be doing this week.
1. Intro

Hosted by Jarrett Smith

This week, all viewers seeing this are challeged to determine fantasy from reality. Five adventures. Some palpable, some phony. Can any of you evaluate which are truth, and which are tale? To do so, you must open your mind to a dimension outside common knowledge and perception. A dimention...that is outside observation...

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Me: Things aren't always what they appear to be at first glance. Once I had a toy top with the image of a chain of hearts circling around the stick you pinch to spin it. A simple image, and yet...whenever you spun it, the image went from a chain of hearts to the appearance of a flower. This week's challenge goes into the subject of things being more than they appear to be. Decide for yourself which of these five stories I'm about to type up are based on actual events. Use your heart, but be careful...your head just might go spinning.


	2. Story 1: Character Creator

Me: Once upon a time the kid in the neighborhood that possessed a Nintendo or Sega system was considered royalty in his neighborhood. Every child in the neighborhood would call him every day just for the chance to play Mario, Sonic, or any other cool game at his house. Now it seems that gaming consoles are just standard equipment in every household. Even adults play them like no tomorrow even though once upon a time, people gave strong consideration to keeping to arcades to play Donkey Kong and Space Invaders when the Atari lost its magic with lazy games like ET. Isaac Brown is an avid gamer. He loves to play anything and particularly loves to create his own characters, but he's about to learn that he can't create…without proper control.

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Sam: (narrating) It was my cousin, Isaac's thirteenth birthday, and he loved his Playstation very much. It had received a lot of love but was growing old. I thought the most ideal gift to give him was a Playstation 2 along with a few games, but those cost an arm and a leg. Thank goodness for pawn shops…

Isaac: *opens the present from his cousin* A Playstation 2?! Sam how were you able to afford this?! It's perfect!

Sam: *smiles* Well, I figured your Playstation was getting old, and I popped into this used store, and there it was with a few games I thought you might like on sale.

Isaac: Oooo! Kingdom Hearts I and II! Smackdown vs Raw 2009! Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith!

Sam: I thought you'd like that.

Issac: I do! Oh, thank you Sam! This is the best birthday ever!

Sam: (narrating) After selling the old Playstation, Isaac spent hours playing his old Playstation games on his PS2 marveling at the better picture quality and resolution. He was playing Crash Bash and Spyro until all the sheep were chops. It was then that I decided to give his newer games a suggestion.

Sam: Hey, Issac? I bought you these other games. Aren't you going to give them a look?

Isaac: You're right, Sam. I should. *looks them over* Hmmm...how about...Smackdown vs Raw 2009?

Sam: Why not? *puts in the disc and turns on the console* This is the first WWE game where official tag teams come out with their signature music. Like Triple H and Shawn Michaels come out to the D-Generation X theme music, and Undertaker and Kane come out to the Brothers of Destruction theme.

Isaac: That's cool…but I'm more interested in this. *scrolls down to "Create a Wrestler"*

Sam: (narrating) It was no surprise. Apart from video games, Isaac loved to draw and create people. This time he could actually interact with his creation, and it left him excited. Little did I or anybody else know that he was about to create two things that I still can't explain to this day.

Isaac: Okay…I think I'll make him Hispanic….with a toned build….long thick hair….brown eyes….5'10'', 197 pounds…and I'll dress him up in a white tank top with blue jean shorts…and I'll give him the name Navarro Wild.

Sam: (narrating) I watched Isaac making this character, and something wasn't measuring up. Why would Isaac create a character so basic? Why wasn't he giving him like flame clothing, or a luchador mask, or body paint and/or tattoos, why didn't he have big hulking muscles like you associate with a pro-wrestler? I thought about it for a while, but I finally decided just to shrug it off. When Navarro Wild was finished, I admired my cousin's craft.

Sam: Oooo…he's a tough looking hombre, Isaac. Now you gonna play the game with him?

Isaac: Nope. How can I create a character without creating a villain for him to fight?

Sam: (narrating) Isaac was back at it again. This time he was acting more like I figured he would.

Isaac: White male….282 pounds…tall…muscular build….bald….tattoos of skulls and snakes on the left arm….dressed in a sleeveless black leather jacket and black jeans…..and I'll call him….Paul "Biker" Kasey.

Sam: He looks vicious…is this Navarro Wild's mortal enemy, Isaac?

Isaac: Yeah…so let's play!

Sam: (narrating) Isaac pit Navarro against Paul for several hours, but no matter how low he set the settings and studied the controls, Paul would always get the pin on Navarro. Isaac tried Tables Matches, Ladder Matches, Hell-in-a-Cell, Last Man Standing Matches, the works, but no matter how hard he tried Paul always left Navarro a bloodied and battered heap on the canvas, but what was strange was the pose Navarro was in at the end of every match. It was always the same. Face down on his stomach with blood all over the ring. Frustrated, Isaac shut off the console and stormed off to his room. It was just as well because the news was about to come on. That was when the strangeness happened.

Reporter: …a college boy named Navarro Salvaje was found brutally murdered in his apartment earlier today. Forensics say he had been dead for over two weeks and left to rot by a burglar that stole his Playstation 2 and three favorite games.

Sam: (narrating) When a photograph of Navarro Salvaje appeared on the screen along with physical traits, I couldn't believe it! Hispanic. Long black hair. Brown eyes. What was incredible was he looked just like Navarro Wild! The character Isaac created! Even off to the sides it read he was 5'10'' and 197 pounds! Then it cut to a reporter talking to what appeared to be Navarro's mother.

Navarro's Mother: ….my son was a normal boy. He'd never do anything to harm anybody! He loved professional wrestling and playing video games! That's why for his birthday just about a month ago I bought him Smackdown vs Raw 2009 for his PS2….and now some thug has killed him and stolen it to sell to some pawn shop.

Sam: (narrating) It was unbelievable! But what was truly shocking was the image of the tape lining on the tile. The pose Navarro apparently had was face down, and there was blood everywhere. A pose I recognized from earlier. Raising an eyebrow, I turned to my computer and logged into a translation search engine and programmed English to Spanish and typed in the word "wild." It was as I suspected. I hit rewind on the remote and held that tape lining, then called Isaac back to try again. Isaac was still upset, but he agreed. Again, he lost and started to get angry until I stopped him.

Sam: Isaac, look at that pose. Sink it in for a second. *grabs the remote and switched to television to show the paused image of the pose according to the tape lining and the pool of blood*

Isaac: *gasped* That's the same pose Navarro Wild takes whenever he's beaten!

Sam: Yes, and there's more. The murder-burglary victim's name was Navarro too! Navarro Salvaje. Isaac, do you know what "Salvaje" means in English?

Isaac: *hesitantly gets out* W-W-Wild…?

Sam: Precisely. Now take a look at the photos of the murder victim.

Sam: (narrating) I rewound the broadcast to show to Isaac's growing shock that Navarro Salvaje was the spitting image of Navarro Wild! He then listened to his grieving mother talk about how big a wrestling fan Navarro Salvaje was and how his favorite game was Smackdown vs Raw 2009. We both called the police claiming that we might have bought Navarro Salvaje's console, games, and controller at a pawn shop. The forensic scientists came and dusted for fingerprints, and sure enough in addition to Isaac, the pawn shop owner, and my fingerprints, there were definite fingerprints of Navarro Salvaje. There were also fingerprints of a man with a rap-sheet. He was arrested soon later as the console and games were brought in as evidence at the trial that we were asked to attend. The suspect pled guilty as he turned to face all in attendance. Isaac and I gasped in shock when we heard the judge proclaim the suspect's name: His name was Paul Casey…he was found in a biker bar…and he looked like and was dressed just like Paul "Biker" Kasey….Navarro Wild's archenemy in our game….

Me: After the trial, Navarro's mother let Isaac and Sam keep her son's Playstation 2 and the games. Saying that they helped the police and her solve her son's murder, and thus Navarro would have wanted them to have it. Incidentally after Paul Casey was convicted, Isaac pit Navarro Wild and Paul "Biker" Casey again and again, and never lost to Paul "Biker" Casey ever again.

But what actually happened here? Did Isaac see an image in the newspaper and create Navarro Wild from it? If so, why would he create Paul "Biker" Kasey to look exactly like the man that killed Navarro Salvaje? Was it a mere coincidence? Or did Navarro Salvaje love his favorite videogame so much that he was able to put his spirit into it and guide Isaac's hand to not only create the image of himself, but that of his murderer? Or did this story never actually play out?

Did this case of a videogame solving its former owner's murder actually happen? Or am I just tapping on my controller?

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FIND OUT IF THIS STORY IS TRUTH OR TALE ON SATURDAY. TOMORROW, A JEALOUS PHANTOM HAUNTS A THEATER ON "OUTSIDE OBSERVATION: TRUTH OR TALE?"


	3. Story 2: The Phantom

Story #2: The Phantom

Me: Whether you've seen the movie, bought a ticket to see the infamous Broadway musical, read the classic novel, read R.L. Stine's Goosebumps spinoff, or seen a little Jack-Russell terrier dog play the role of main protagonists in classic literature, virtually everyone knows about the love triangle between Christine Daae, Raoul, and a saboteur known as the Phantom of the Opera. While romantic, we never seem to think that any being in reality could be that fickle and jealous. Of course, we're wrong.

Gregory Davidson is a hotshot thespian. He loves the attention of the ladies, and always gets the part he wants. Even if that means stepping on a few toes, but he's about the step on the toes…of someone who who's going to stomp back….

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Stephanie: (narrating) My good friend, Willard Stevens, was a well-versed actor and loved to read plays and classic literature. He could say the name "William Shakespeare" backwards, he knew every delicacy and dance number that went with them in "The Nutcracker Suite," and practically lived to see Broadway musicals when they came to neighboring cities. His favorite author however was Charles Dickens, and he was ecstatic when a local theater was holding auditions for "David Copperfield."

Willard: "Whether I shall run…" No, no, no! That's not right! It's "Whether I shall turn," not "run!" Ugh! I can't believe this! I've read Charles Dickens from "Barnaby Rudge" to "Wreck of the Golden Mary!" How can I not get this down?!

Stephanie: Be patient, Willard. The directors don't want perfect, they just want good.

Willard: Hmph! More like they want Gregory Davidson! HE always gets the good parts! He got Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick!" He got Romeo! He got to wear a pulley system on his back to be Peter Pan when we were in Elementary School! And he's not even that good! He just has those good-looks and charm that the teachers and directors smile at not giving a damn about intelligence or talent!

Stephanie: (narrating) It was true. Gregory Davidson was a bit of a show-off. Always was come to think of it. He always liked to rub in the faces of everyone that he was handsome, rich, and always got what he wanted. He had dated every cheerleader in high school, and he was always receiving things he didn't seem to deserve. What's more, whenever he did cause trouble, he always got away with it.

Willard: Well not this time! This time I'm going to rehearse day and night! I won't let that arrogant jerk get the lead this time!

Gregory: You can read that book all you want, Stevens. It won't stop me from getting the part of David Copperfield.

Stephanie: (narrating) That was Gregory alright. He felt no one was his equal. He was the richest, strongest, and most handsome boy in school. All the ladies liked him for this, but I loathed him. As far as I was concerned, he was nothing but a chauvinistic bully.

Stephanie: Willard will get the part this time, Gregory! He knows Charles Dickens like the back of his hand!

Gregory: That won't help him! This is a Shakespearean play!

Willard: *goes silent then starts to laugh and is soon joined in by Stephanie*

Gregory: What's so funny?!

Stephanie: *laughing* Shakespeare didn't write "David Copperfield" you idiot! Look at the flyer!

Stephanie: (narrating) I pointed to the poster where it specifically read "By: Charles Dickens" on it. The look on Gregory's face was priceless as if he had been preparing for the wrong play all this time!

Stephanie: Well, with you preparing for the wrong play, Gregory, looks like you aren't prepared for this upcoming audition! I guess it's Willard's turn to shine now!  
Stephanie: (narrating) But it wasn't. The day of auditioning, Willard didn't even arrive…thanks to Gregory…

In an alleyway near the theater, Willard is walking confidently to audition when suddenly, a big arm grabs and pulls him into the alleyway!

Willard: Hey! What are you doing?!

Gregory: No one gets the lead but me, dweeb! And I'm going to ensure you don't get it!

Gregory drags Willard to a dumpster, throws him inside, and duct tapes the escapes. He chuckles to himself and goes to the theater.

Director: Alright…next to audition we have Willard Stevens. Willard?

Gregory: *enters* Willard contracted a sore throat, sir. I'd be more than happy to take his place.

Stephanie: (narrating) I couldn't believe it. Willard had worked so hard, and now he was sick. Gregory was going to take the lead after all. It was so unfair. After the audition, I turned to a phone intending to call Willard up and apologize to him when Gregory met up with me.

Gregory: Sorry about your friend not getting the part, Stephanie, but don't worry…I just broke up with the last cheerleader, and I'm open to giving a smart girl a chance… *forcefully kisses her*

Stephanie: (narrating) I couldn't believe it! This jerk had the audacity to kiss me without my permission! I was going to shove him off, but…something clicked in my mind. He was actually quite good at this! Now I was beginning to see what all the cheerleaders liked about him as I ceased tensing up and wrapped my arms around his frame when out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that I would regret for the rest of my life…

Willard: *stares through the backstage window in shock and sorrow*

Stephanie: (narrating) I had no idea how long Willard had been standing there, but the look on his face was heartbreaking. I immediately broke from Gregory and rushed to apologize, but Willard had already left. I felt so guilty. I had planned to tell him that Gregory kissed me without my permission when he calmed down, but I had no idea what he was going to do next.

In the backstage area of the theater, a silhouette of William is seen taking a spare curtain rope, hoisting it over an overhead beam, making a noose, putting his neck into it, and jumping as the image cuts to black.

Stephanie: (narrating) It was horrible the next day. One of the custodians of the theater found Willard's body dangling by the neck on a rope. Everybody grieved at the funeral, and there was consideration given to stopping production altogether. Unfortunately, this play was our membership into a contest with other theaters, and the show had to go on. During rehearsals, Gregory was surprisingly amazing! He knew every line, how to express said lines with perfect expression, got all the movements down perfectly, he was incredible! We felt for sure we had this contest in the bags, so we filled the theater up. No seat was left open as the curtain rose. What happened after that, I'll never know…

Gregory: "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my life, or whether that station will be held by anyo-" *starts to choke before clearing throat* "…held by anyone el- anyone el-el-e-e-eeeee" *clears throat* "…anyone el-" *suddenly grabs his throat as if pulling something off as he suddenly stops to open his mouth, but no sound comes out*

Stephanie: (narrating) I couldn't believe it! Gregory had lost his voice! After all those days of perfect rehearsal, our lead had lost that which he had perfected. What's more, it never came back. For the rest of his life, Gregory Davidson lived his life as a mute. The doctors determined that it was hysteric muteness brought on by stage fright, but I knew better. It was Willard punishing him for taking his role and kissing me without my permission which motivated Willard to hang himself in the theater that had sabotaged the performance….

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Me: They say the spirit of Willard still haunts the theater to this very day. In fact, the theater strongly believes that whenever a front row seat isn't left open in their theater, the jealous ghost will sabotage the play and indeed whenever the front row was filled up, something always went wrong with the plays. But whenever one or more seats was empty, the play in that particular theater always went well. And it's not just the stage that's haunted. Some people have claimed to see doors open on their own and chairs fall off tables without provocation. Or do they…?

Is this so-called "Phantom of the Theater" story actually true? Or am I just singing the Music of the Night?

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FIND OUT IF THIS STORY IS TRUTH OR TALE ON SATURDAY. TOMORROW, A DENTIST GIVES A PATIENT A CURSED FILLING ON "OUTSIDE OBSERVATION: TRUTH OR TALE."


	4. Story 3: The Silver Tooth

Story #3: The Silver Tooth

Me: Most children can go to museums and look at medieval torture devices with a sense of awe and a childish sadism at how neat the prospect of a man being stretched until his arms are pulled out of his shoulders. However, show them a dentist's chair…and a good many of them will run for the hills. Seems that fewer things are scarier for a child than a trip to the dentist. The thought of having to have a rotten tooth pulled, or a drill being put in a hole in your molars, or even getting filled with a piece of metal.

Dr. Timothy White is a veteran dentist. He's seen everything from a frozen nut breaking a person's teeth, to a set that's more plaque than calcium. However, for all his work, he's never dealt with curses…until now.

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Me: (narrating) Dr. White lived in a small loft above his dentist office. It was a homey place, but not like the kind of dentist offices you see today. It didn't have no playroom or lobby, just an armchair, a couch, and a few magazines. It was clean though, and Dr. White was one of the friendliest people in town. He even volunteered his services at nursing homes, mental institutions, and even gave treatment to convicted criminals. He was a true humanitarian, and everybody loved him.

Deliveryman: Well Doc, that's the last box concerning your shipment of silver alloy. You should be good to go for a year or so, there's more than enough alloy here to fill 10,000 teeth.

Dr. White: Goodness. If the alloy percentage ratio wasn't about 70% tin, 25% copper, and only 5% silver, I'd be worried about getting mugged.

Me: (narrating) Thankfully, Dr. White really had nothing to fear. Extracting so little silver from so much tin and copper would require a lot of effort and know-how. That afternoon, Dr. White got a call. It was from the warden of a maximum-security prison Dr. White frequented.

Dr. White: Yes, officer…I see, he got into a fight and now his tooth is badly split. *listens* No, I don't have any patients this afternoon…*listens*…of course. I'll be right over.

Me: (narrating) Dr. White gathered his required tools and some of the alloy required for his fillings. He hoped it was just a split that could be patched and wouldn't have to pull it out to replace with a new silver tooth. When he arrived and inspected his patient, something didn't feel right. The scraggly black beard and the fearsome appearance gave the good doctor the impression that maybe this was one patient he should refuse to see. But ultimately, Dr. White never ignored his Hippocratic Oath, and gestured for his patient to be seated and restrained so he could take a closer look.

Dr. White: Now, let's see what all those honey buns and snack cakes have been doing, shall we?

Me: (narrating) A little joke never hurt anyone in Dr. White's eyes. He knew what to expect because he knew the poor eating habits of prisoners. When he looked inside however, he was horrified! It seemed that every tooth was in terrible condition. Rotting and cavities aplenty! Halitosis and plaque galore! His left canine was practically broken in half. This would require more than a filling! This could mean days of filling and replacing teeth.

Dr. White: I'm going to have to treat this patient for several days. He not only needs fillings; he needs a full replacement.

Me: (narrating) Dr. White came daily to the prison for a whole week using the alloy that had been delivered to fill teeth, cap teeth, and replace teeth that he had pulled out. His patient was finally complete as he returned to his cell. Dr. White recommended that a mouth restraint be replaced on him now that his teeth were more silver than calcium. How could honey buns do so much damage to one man? Perhaps he was a chronic smoker and drug user before his arrest.

Dr. White: If you don't mind me asking, what was this prisoner convicted for? Drug abuse charges?

Warden: Yeah, along with drug and human trafficking, theft, vandalism, assault, gang activity, rape, burglary, piracy, assault, and even murder. The prisoners all look up to him and idolize his fearsome image to match the kind of person he is.

Dr. White: Goodness! If I didn't know any better, I'd say this man was a modern pirate!

Warden: *smirks* Funny you should say that. His name is Kyle Teach…*leans in*…and he claims to be the descendant of in infamous Edward Teach.

Dr. White: You mean…Blackbeard…?

Warden: Mm-hmm.

Me: (narrating) The next morning, Dr. White turned on the morning news with his coffee only to hear breaking news that there had been a riot in the prison. Several guards were killed and so were many rioting inmates. The leader of this rioting team was Kyle Teach, the same person that Dr. White had treated all week.

Reporter: …Kyle Teach was found dead with five gunshot wounds and about twenty bleeding cuts. What was truly frightening was that one of the bullets shot an overhead glass light that swooped down and severed Kyle Teach's head off in the struggle. When forensic dentists looked inside Kyle Teach's teeth they were surprised to find a piece of silver with a date on it: November 22nd, 1718. Exactly three-hundred years to the day that Kyle Teach died.

Me: (narrating) Dr. White was shocked, not only because his patient was dead, but because of that date mentioned. Something was clicking in his memories from his school days as he turned to his history books until he found what he was looking for: "November 22nd, 1718. The day that Blackbeard the Pirate was shot five times, cut about twenty times….and decapitated." It was so strange. The silver used to make those fillings must have been a piece of Blackbeard's treasure once upon a time…and three hundred years later found its way back to its rightful owner….

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Me: Could this story really be true? Was the fact that Kyle Teach had the same last name as Blackbeard the Pirate's real name just some coincidence? Or was he really the descendant of one of the most fearsome pirates in history? Kyle Teach did have that fearsome looking black beard and appearance, and he had all the inmates look up to him through his intimidating looks just like Blackbeard and his crew according to the Warden. And what about the way Kyle Teach was killed? Almost identical to when Blackbeard was killed and exactly three hundred years after he died. Was that a coincidence as well?

Is this story of a dentist inadvertently returning Blackbeard's treasure to his descendant true? Or is this just a swashbuckling story?


	5. Story 4: The Thirsty Grave

Story #4: The Thirsty Grave

Me: Most people like to lay flowers on the graves of their loved ones. It's considered a genuine show of love and respect for the dead. Others leave letters, jewelry, autographed sports memorabilia or photos, come to the graveyard to polish the tombstones, and all other manner of shows of respect.

Peyton Kyle recently lost his best friend. A soda connoisseur named Nate Winston. Peyton does all he can to pay respect to his friend, but he's about to learn that the dead prefer more appropriate tribute to their memories….

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Peyton: (narrating) My best friend Nate always was a bit of a rebel. If there was a minor law that the most trouble that he could get from it was a minor ticket, he'd break it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that's what got him killed. He drove with an open glass bottle of soda in it, then got in a crash with another car. Forensic scientists say he would have survived the impact had Nate's soda bottle not shattered sending shards of glass flying with a big one cutting his jugular. Now I know why it's illegal to have any open glass container in a car.

Pastor: ….Nate….was a rough but well-intended man. He bought bottles of Mexican Coke and Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Pepper for children just to be friendly, he ran in marathons for charity, and he always had time for his friends and family.

Peyton: (narrating) It was so true. Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Pepper was Nate's favorite drink. He loved the fact it was made with real sugar and not high-fructose corn syrup. He loved the clean taste of soda in a glass bottle as opposed to aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Every Friday he and I went to a local coffee house to listen to rising artists and poets ply their trade, and while I liked everything that barista served, he always got an Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Pepper. He loved that drink and Mexican Coca-Cola so much that those were the drinks served at his funeral reception. We felt it only appropriate.

Peyton: *looks at the headstone and raises his bottle* Rest in peace, Nate Winston. We'll all miss yo- Huh!

Peyton: (narrating) Something was wrong. Suddenly I could feel a very cold feeling running up my spine! Despite the fact it was mid-summer, I was feeling cold all over! It was so eerie. Eventually the cold feeling wore off, and the funeral ended. We all got in our cars and resumed our normal lives. That's when it all happened… About a week later, I was at the coffee house sipping a hot chocolate and enjoying the serene peace of an acoustic guitar player when it happened.  
THUD!

Barista: Whoa! *follows the sound to the soda fridge* Hey…why are these bottles of Dr. Pepper vibrating…?

Peyton: (narrating) We all looked in amazement. Amazement that turned into shock as the metal caps suddenly burst off the bottles sending geysers of Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Peppers up into the sky emptying the bottles completely except for one!

Peyton: Maybe…some kid shook them up….

Peyton: (narrating) Although no one was seen going into the fridge, we figured that's what it was at the time. None of us even noticed the way the Dr. Pepper was trickling on the stone floor. After that incident, my life began to take a turn for the worse. I contracted the flu, missed a lot of days of work, got fired, got my electricity turned off, and worst of all I couldn't sleep. Every time something bad happened to me, I always felt that chilling feeling from the moment I was about to leave Nate's graveyard, but I never understood why. That was until I felt well enough to return to the coffee house again. This time I felt like ordering an Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Pepper. I felt bad about the damage done to the guy's shop and the loss of profits due to him being able to sell only one that night. So I sat in my chair listening to a stand-up comedian when all of a sudden, that cold feeling down my spine got all the worse!

Peyton: ARRRRRGHHHHH!

Peyton: (narrating) I wouldn't have yelled so loudly and gotten the attention of all the other patrons, but this time the feeling was so cold that it actually hurt!  
Lady: Look at his back!

Man: Is he sweating? But how?! It's so cool in here! *rubs his finger on Peyton's back* This stuff is freezing! Wait…*looks at it further, frowns, and brings his finger to his mouth to the shock of the customers but then he gives a look of shock back* What the-? This isn't sweat! It has no salty or acidic flavor! It's…it's just water!

Peyton: (narrating) One of the customers, a doctor, worried pulled my shirt up only to gasp himself.

Doctor: Wait….this is….this is condensation! Like on a glass or a bottle!

Peyton: (narrating) As the patrons looked in confusion and fright, suddenly all the bottles of Dr. Pepper again began to shake and shoot their contents into the air! We all were so terrified, until one of the bottles blasted a photo of Nate and I both sharing a cold Dr. Pepper here in this shop several years ago. The liquid spilled on the floor, but this time instead of cleaning it up, we all watched in shock as the brown liquid seemed to shift next to the photograph!

Lady: *narrowing her eyes* Peyton….I'm…thirsty….give me…..my favorite drink….

Peyton: (narrating) It was all so strange. With no idea of what else to do, I noticed this time that two bottles of Dr. Pepper were still full. One in the fridge, and the one on my table. I paid for them both, and hurriedly drove to the graveyard where Nate was buried.

Mortician: Good afternoon. What can I do for you, sir?

Peyton: I'm here to share a drink with one of my best friends buried here. I bought his favorite.

Peyton: (narrating) I showed him the photo of Nate and myself and the two bottles of Dr. Pepper. I  
walked to his grave, pulled out a bottle opener, pulled off the lid, and poured the contents on the grass of his grave. Suddenly, the cold feeling on my back and the condensation ceased. I gave him a whole bottle, had a brief discussion with him, then left. The next day, I got a new job offer that paid better than my old job, was able to buy a descent house, and all went well. I just make sure to go to the graveyard once a week to pour a cold one onto Nate's grave. I did this so often, I arranged for the graveyard to put a pipe with a cap in it into Nate's grave and into his mouth like a straw. I never stopped serving him an Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr. Pepper ever again except when I was on vacation or sick. Thankfully, Nate seemed to understand this because my back never experienced condensation again.

-

Me: Bizarre story, isn't it? A man that was killed by something he loved seemed to crave it even after he died. So much so that he would haunt his best friend and sabotage his life just to get a taste of it. Was it all a coincidence? Did the barista just shake all those bottles and not say anything about it? Were Peyton's misfortunes after Nate's death just a coincidence? If so, why did things go right for him after pouring the Dr. Pepper onto Nate's grave? And what about Peyton's back? The doctor himself and the man that dared to taste the liquid on Peyton's back confirmed it was regular water brought on by condensation, so how could that be?

Is this story sipping from the cup of truth? Or am I just blowing soda bubbles?


	6. Story 5: The Cat in the Cooler

Story #5: The Cat in the Cooler

Me: Most of us have had premonitions. Dreams of brief glances of things that never happened, and yet through our own actions they do for some reason. Very few can explain them. Some say our minds know us so well that they know what we'll do in the future, but do our minds know more than we think…?

Chris Gaines has many premonitions. He dreams about the future like no tomorrow, but his most bizarre dream…may not be a premonition at all.

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Chris: (narrating) It was one in the morning, and as usual I was having trouble sleeping. Same circumstances as usual. My pillow was too hot, the room was too hot even though the air conditioner was down all the way, and too many thoughts rang through my head.

Chris: *tossing and turning* How can anybody sleep when their minds are full all the time? So many random thoughts…memories…things I've seen or played in video games….worries about the future….

Chris: (narrating) That was the biggest one. I always worry about the future. I guess that's why I have so many premonitions at night, but this night I was going to have some random dream that was the most bizarre thing I had ever dreamed before.

*fade to a dream state*

Chris: I'm….craving…ice cream….big freezer…

Chris: (narrating) In the dream, I had opened the freezer to find many various boxes of ice cream. All sorts of flavors like cookie dough, coconut cheesecake, rocky road, etc. Suddenly, a strange container caught my eye.

Chris: This is plain vanilla, but the box is…rather unusual.

Chris: (narrating) It was pink and made of plastic, but what was most unusual about it was that it had a robotic head like a white Persian cat. It had white paws on the sides and bottom, and a tail. I picked the box up, when the box started to squirm and swipe trying to get out of my grasp. When I turned it off, I saw something on the container. It was writing. It read, "In Loving Memory of Brianna Gaines" and under that was thew year she was born and the year she died. Briana Gaines was my younger sister that died a long time ago. I dreamed other things that, but this one stuck with me.

Chris: (wakes up) I wonder why I was dreaming about ice cream, a robotic cat in a freezer, and about my sister?

Chris: (narrating) Later that day, my mother came to pick me up from my apartment. I didn't know how to drive, so I needed her to take me to the grocery store. My mom always wanted me to tell her when I had dreams regarding my sister, so when the opportunity arose, I told her. The more I went into detail, the more intrigued she became. I didn't know why, so I just kept going. I explained to her about the vanilla ice cream, the robotic white Persian cat that struggled, and Briana's date of birth and the day of her death on the tub. When I had finished, my mom was so shocked.

Chris: Mom, what is it?

Mother: Chris….what would you say if I told you that last night, I couldn't sleep either, so I went to the fridge to have myself a bowl of vanilla ice cream and when I entered the fridge I looked in sadness at the sight of Angelo's corpse lying in a plastic zipper bag frozen and waiting to be buried?

Chris: (narrating) Angelo was the family cat that had died recently, and he was a Persian, but he wasn't white…

Mother: And when I saw him, I remembered that my girlfriends and I were planning on going to a cat show and were looking forward to holding a white Persian cat. I also remembered how much Briana loved to play with him and hug him when we got him the summer before she died.

Chris: (narrating) This was true too. After our old cat, Boogie, died when I was in the fourth grade, right when school ended for the summer, we got a new cat that looked exactly like him. That was Angelo. Briana and I played with him all summer before leaving on a trip to Colorado. That was where she died in a car accident. But this was so incredible! Was I really dreaming about my mother's thoughts and actions that night…when she lived ten miles apart from me….?

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Me: What happened here? How could Chris's dream have been so reflective of the real-life things his mother was doing and thinking about last night? Was it merely a coincidence? Or was there something deeper involved? Maybe it had something to do with the bond Chris and his mother share. Can a son and mother love each other so much that they can basically have the same experience even though one is asleep and the other is awake?

Could this dream of the feline in a fridge be based on an actual event? Or did I just let the cat out of the cooler?


	7. Results

Me: Now let's take a look back at our five stories and find out which are truth and which are tale.

How did you judge the story of a video game that was able to bring its former owner's murder to justice? Did you think I pulled this straight from the imagination? *shakes head* That's exactly what I did. It never happened.

(Story 1: Character Creator: TALE)

How about the Phantom that sabotaged a theater? Have you ever heard a story like this before? You might have. This story happened in a high-school auditorium in Texas. It's true.

(Story 2: The Phantom: TRUTH)

The legend of the Blackbeard's silver that found its way to its rightful owner due to filling his descendant's teeth. Did you think this story was real? If you did, I gotcha. It's fake.

(Story 3: The Silver Tooth: TALE)

The story of a friend whose spirit craved the taste of his favorite drink so much, that he haunted his best friend to get him to give him some. Did this happen...? No way. Not a chance. It's just a story.

(Story 4: The Thirsty Corpse: TALE)

How about the tale of a mother and son's bond that was so powerful, the son had a dream that was identical to his mother's real-life experiences that same night. Could that actually happen...? Well, it did. In fact, it happened to my own mother and I several years ago. It's an actual event.

(Story 5: The Cat in the Cooler: TRUTH)

How were you this week? Is the supernatural truly hard to see, or can you easily see the truth amidst the confusion? Are things we don't perceive everyday truly supernatural...or are they just Outside Observation? I'm Jarrett Smith.


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